The Quad is a large, open area the forms the geographic heart of the campus. Siegel Dining Hall is located here, a large building that looks like a giant child's building block made out of concrete and glass. Benches and tables are clustered around the building for those who prefer to eat outside, with large oak trees providing shade. On the southern side of the quad, is the Medical Center, a modest red brick building covered with ivy. Cobblestone pathways lead off in the four cardinal directions, each path lined with trees and the occasional bench. At the center where the four paths meet is a circular paved area, in the middle of which is a sundial formed of two gleaming arcs and a long angled rod of aluminum.
_

Scritch, scritch, scritch…Amy's eyes are locked on the oversized sketch pad as her hand guides the pencil across the paper. Yes, Amy is actually attempting to be artistic, and it's clear by the way she sets the pad down, glares at it, picks it back up and flips to the back side of the page, she's not having much luck at it.

Alia currently races among the trees, glowing a brilliant shade of emerald green as she practices her control. Cutting the corners with inhuman (haha) precision, she suddenly spins up into the air, then notices Amy. With that, she descends rapidly, landing and re materializing not too far from the girl.

Amy gives a little squeak of surprise as Alia suddenly appears nearby, looking up from her sketchpad with a little grin. "You are too good at that." she chuckles softly. "So, what's up?" she asks, pausing to take a sip from the bottle of water next to her before going back to her sketch.

Alia smiles, "Thank you." She shakes her head, "Nothing at the moment, I was just getting some flight practice in." Her head nods slightly, "What have you been sketching?"

"This? Eh, trying to figure out what to use for a cos….outfit for our trip this weekend." Amy replies, shrugging a little as she begins to make much smoother, cleaner lines with her pencil. She's got some talent, not a _lot_ but some, and apparently she's zooming in on a design she likes. "Trying to figure out just how far to go with it, ya know?" she says, biting her bottom lip as she continues to draw. "I mean, I don't wanna go full-on 'comic book', but I would like it to look, you know, impressive. Get their attention."

Alia nods, "Yes, I should work on something similar for myself, as well." She pauses, "Not sure what exactly TO use, however."

"Well, you can look at some of the other stuff I've come up with, see if you see anything interesting." Amy says, as she finishes up the sketch and offering the pad to Alia.

Alia takes the pad, and pages through the sketches with a curious expression, "Well, I would suggest maybe something with some bold lines to it. Distinctive."

"Heh, there's plenty to choose from." Amy admits with a slightly embarrassed giggle. "I got kind of carried away. Mr. Sattler threaten to confiscate it for the rest of the week 'cause I was more into drawing in it than I was listening to his ethics class." she admits. "There's one…here, she says, reaching over to flip the pages until she finds the one, a skimpy leotard not unlike the one Raven wore in the Teen Titans cartoon, only with a mask, not a hood.

Alia hrms, "Well, a certain practicality isn't necessarily a bad thing." She shrugs a little, "I prefer a more paramilitary look, myself. It seems somewhat dignified for my purposes, but that might just be a difference in my culture."

"Yeah, I kinda ruled this one out 'cause there wasn't any protection for my legs or anything." Amy admits, then chuckles. "Okay, so underneath my headbanging exterior there's a comic book geek." she smirks, sticking her tongue out teasingly at Alia. "Hell, why not? I'm more or less living in one."

Alia laughs quietly, "Perhaps, but there's a certain level of protection you'd want to have, Amy." She shakes her head, "Though, there is something to be said for distracting the enemy."

Amy chuckles. "Ya know, I always used to wonder about that." Amy replies, nodding. "Maybe the reason some of those supers go for such outlandish get ups is because they're trying to keep everybody from thinking about just how little of their faces that mask really covers."

Alia hrms, "This is very true." She smiles wryly, "Of course, my light tends to keep people from getting a good look. Though my powers are not really a matter of secrecy."

This young woman stands nearly six feet tall, and has a build so slender it might almost be considered inhuman. Her eyes are slightly almond-shaped, and almost appear to glow with a light purple hue. Her skin is rather pale, and she seems to eschew makeup, except for a touch of eye shadow to complement the otherworldly nature of her gaze. Her light brown hair is long and kept free, cascading down around her shoulders and covering her ears completely.

She wears a paramilitary version of the dorm uniform, with a black jacket of severe cut over a light grey blouse. A belt is cinched around her narrow waist, as stylish black slacks cover her legs. She wears light grey boots, also seeming to be of some paramilitary style, and around her throat resides a silver pendant, representing a creature that perhaps resembles a condor, but not exactly. Upon her right ring finger is a signet ring, strange calligraphy running around the golden metal.

"Yeah, that's true. But it'd still be a real headache if it got out to the public that you were from another planet." Amy points out. "Although, you could go to sci-fi cons and make a fortune giving talks." she chuckles. "Wait…have you ever seen the movie Aliens?" she asks, starting to flip through the pages again. "I got one in here kind of inspired by the armor the Marines were wearing."

Alia ohs, "I did see that one. Haven't encountered anything quite LIKE that, before. It's a touch unrealistic, to say the least. The whole 'acid for blood' thing, mostly."

"Here." Amy says, finding the right sketch, a small one, but reasonably well detailed. "I liked it." she grins. "Scared me to damn _death_, especially the part where she goes back into the hive to find that kid." she adds, shuddering a little. "Didn't sleep a wink that night. All I could see was the queen ripping up those floor grates."

Alia grins, "Yes, it's rather interesting." She chuckles a bit, "That looks rather good, though. I think it's quite good." She hrms, "I have seen some of the alien movies, but they all seem a bit… well, silly, to be honest."

Amy shrugs a little, chuckling. "That's only 'cause you've been out there and know what's really there, not what some dumb ass human made up." she says simply. 'Though, that first movie, I never could figure out why they were stupid enough to go inside that ship to start with. Me? I'd've took one look at that thing and went 'Well, it's big, it's weird…and ya know what? I don't have the training or the gear to do much else but look at it and go ~beeble-beeble-beeble~." she giggles, wiggling her index between her lips. "Screw this, let's get back to the ship and have a beer!"

Alia laughs a little, "Yes, there seems to be a remarkable lack of prudence involved with your extraterrestrial fiction." She shakes her head, "Really, it's quite extraordinary, though the lack of corporate trust seems justified."

"Ha! Well, you gotta remember, if they don't go into the places any sane person would take one look at and go 'Eh…heh, you want me to go _where_? Really?' You wouldn't have much of a story, would ya?", Amy chuckles. "Well, yeah, the Company had basically decided whatever was inside that thing was more important than their lives." she nods. "Not exactly a trust enhancer, is it?"

Alia nods, "I'm still amazed you have not executed the leaders of that oil company for the damage they have done. But I suppose you have different sensibilities than my people in such regards." She smiles faintly, "But again, that's a cultural difference."

"Heh, lemme tell you something that'll give you a _big_ insight into the human race." Amy says. "It's called the Golden Rule. Whoever has the gold, _makes_ the rules." she says firmly. "Summed up in two words, really. 'Money talks'."

Alia wrinkles her nose, "How unenlightened. Of course, we had a similar period.. though we outgrew it. I hope the same comes of your people, Amy." She sighs, "I really do."

"Heh, get used to disappointment." Amy chuckles. "We're not _all_ like that, of course." she adds, shrugging a little. "It's mostly on this half of the planet. The Indians are pretty cool." she smiles, eyes going ever so slightly out of focus as she slips into a little reverie. "Philosophically speaking, the Chinese and the Japanese have their moments, too, but they both have kind of a scary idea of the value of life sometimes." she shrugs. "I am sorry to tell ya, Alia, we humans are not the nicest people you've ever met." she says simply. "If we ever manage to get off this little rock, if I were your leaders, I'd watch us like _hawks_."

Alia arches a brow, then just says, "Why do you think we have an embassy here in the first place?" She says it rather deadpan, and it's hard to tell if she's doing her joking, or not. But she does seem rather serious.

"Cause you're smart." Amy replies, nodding, and her voice is deadly serious. "If you were to tell me you had a contingency plan to wipe us all out at the first sign of real trouble, I wouldn't be the least bit surprised."

Alia shakes her head, "No, nothing like that." She smiles faintly, "But there is a historical precedent for concern, of course." What exactly that is, she doesn't say.

"Heh, I kinda figured." Amy smirks, motioning for Alia to hand back the sketchpad. "But, fair warning, we may be crazy, us humans." she notes. "But we're also meaner than _hell_." she grins nastily, a scary kind of grin that barely touches her eyes.

Alia grins, "Oh, so you think you're a thrai and not a nei'rrh?" She tilts her head, looking somewhat amused, "Perhaps next summer we can do a field trip and you see a genuine thrai, and evaluate that."

"Shiny." Amy replies, bobbing her head a little. "Sounds like fun. So, are thrai…" she says, the alien word tripping clumsily from her tongue, "make for good eating?" she asks. "All this fall air's got me in the mood for barbecue."

Alia shakes her head, "No, nothing at all like that. They are close to you… a wolverine, roughly, is pretty similar." She gestures, and makes a solid light figure, it looks to be a rather bigger and meaner looking wolverine, as she adds, "But smarter, far smarter. Akin to a dog, or perhaps even a dolphin."

"Eh, there's a lot of wiggle room between dog and dolphin, Alia." Amy chuckles, studying the image curiously. "Nasty looking little bugger, though." she notes, pursing her lips thoughtfully. "I think I've seen this before." she muses, voice trailing off as she tries to think of where. "Yeah..yeah….Heh, I think he was one of the Orcs in Return of the King." she grins.

Alia chuckles, "Well, perhaps. I don't think so. They refuse to be domesticated, so we respect that. But sometimes they deign to ally with certain people that they find worthy of them."

Amy's shoulders jiggle with silent laughter as she watches her joke sail over Alia's head and off into the great beyond. "Heh, you oughta read those books." she says. "It'll really help you understand us a little more." she points out. "But, whatever that thing is, I imagine it'd react to having a few hundred thousand volts run through it the same way anything else would." she muses, then giggles brightly. "Just like the Andersen’s dog when he wouldn't stop pissing on our trashcan." she hoots softly. "Our…metal trashcan."

Alia snickers, "I suppose that is true, then." She gestures, the glowing thrai poofing into ambient light, before she looks back to Amy, "I think Rioghan was reading them, if I recall correctly. I shall ask him if he would mind my borrowing them if he is finished."

"They're good books." Amy smiles, bobbing her head a little. "Kind of hard to get into at first, but once you get used to the way the guy writes, it gets really interesting." she comments, taking her sketchpad back and flipping to her last drawing. "Ya know, I think this could work." she says, turning around so that Alia can see it properly. "Just gotta figure out how to have it made."

Alia nods, "Well, can you get it done on fairly short notice?" She smiles a bit, "Might not be bad to do, really, to have something available."

"I _might_ could." Amy muses, turning the pad back to peer at it intently. "Does this outfit have any kind of a..I dunno…a shop or anything?" she asks. "Gotta get this turned into a pattern…" she muses. "Then figure out the right fabric…..No…not doable in the time I've got. But…I can do a prototype." she says, thinking out loud. "Yeah, like a beta version…..make it out of something simple, stick some kevlar underneath it, just in case…Can get the elbow and knee pads at any decent sporting goods shop….The mask, eh….There's a……store in town I can get that from…"

Alia smiles slightly, "I think that would be an excellent way to start. I shall probably endeavor to actually produce something that can pass as a costume, for a change." She looks a bit amused at the concept of that.

Amy gives the sketch another look and then settles back against the bench, picking up her water bottle, in this case, a quart jug of Gatorade recycled for the purpose, and starts to laugh quietly. "Good _GOD_, we are insane." she giggles. "We're planning to fly to Russia, interrogate a bunch of computer geeks who might be out to _take over the world_." she says adding the proper dramatic emphasis to the last bit, "And planning what our costumes are gonna look like for the trip." she says, slapping her knee softly. "Heh, I propose a toast." she says, sitting up formerly. "To the late, great Bob Kane." she announces, holding up her bottle ceremoniously. "Who is no doubt laughing his ass off in the next life."

Alia blinks, "Bob Kane?" She looks curiously at Amy, but does pull a water bottle out of a holster at her hip, tapping her bottle to Amy's. "I don't believe I know who that is."

"He was the guy that came up with Batman." Amy replies, clunking her bottle against Alia's before taking a long pull. "This would be piss on his paddle." she chuckles, then adds. "Don't ask me what that means, had a foster dad used to say it." she chuckles.

Alia hrms. "I prefer Kirby, honestly." She smiles a little, "It seems more appropriate for what we do here, anyway. I'm sure this campus is techno-active." Her eyes glimmer a bit, as she seems quite amused.

Amy smiles. "I'm more of a Frank Miller kinda girl, myself." she admits. "Well, him and Alan Moore…" she adds. "'V For Vendetta' was _epic!_. I even liked the movie." she grins. "And 'Watchmen' just _owns_."

Alia nods, "I'm reading that now, for Literature. Also it's crossing over into superhero ethics. It presents some interesting questions on the morality of powers." She smiles, "Of course, I have a bit of a unique perspective on that."

"Yeah, it's on my reading list." Amy nods. "I'm not gonna, of course." she chuckles. "Hell, I've read it sixteen times already. But he does make a lot of points about power. Most of them bad."

Alia smiles faintly, "Indeed. There's a certain degree of responsibility with power, and whether or not one chooses to accept it."

Amy nods. "Yeah, shame nobody told the people in that book about it." she sighs, shaking her head sadly. "That's the trouble with most people who have real power……they never stop to think about it."

Alia nods, "Well, I would say that is a common epidemic to your species. Foresight is not often valued. Or rather, it is valued… in others, but not in the person that should have it the most."